iPad Pro high end future proof ipad choice (ipad pro 11 128GB or ipad air 4 256GB)

[kevjen888]

i'm down to these two options, prices are about the same (around $780 tax included) with the BF discounts from Walmart and Amazon. I will use it mostly for entertainment. We don't have a TV in our bedroom, so the new ipad will be used as our main tool to stream movies and tv shows. i don't buy ipad often, my current one is an Air 2 i bought back in 2014, so the next ipad will have to be future proof for at least 5 years. here are the pros and cons for the two finalist.

iPad Pro 11 wifi 128GB
pros: better screen, 120hz refresh rate, better speakers (this is a huge one for us), face id (been using that feature since iphone X, kind of weary going back to finger scanning), 6GB RAM

cons: the only con is its old processor, before all of you techies get on me for it outperforms the A14 in multi-core mode, i don't care. A12z is a variant of the same process as iphone XS, that's enough to turn me off a bit. i need something future proof for 5 years.


iPad Air 4 wifi 256GB
pros:newer processor, a tad lighter than Pro 11, double the storage for similar or less money

cons: finger scanning, only 2 speakers, 60 hz refresh rate.

which one will you pick?

 

[jb1280]

I was originally pretty skeptical about the new iPad Air vis-a-vis the 11” iPad Pro, but I’ve used my wife’s iPad Air lately and it’s a pretty great device.

The speakers sound really pretty good and while not having ProMotion is noticeable, it’s not necessarily a dealbreaker, particularly if you’ve never had it on a device.

For your use case, I think it largely comes down to whether the additional 128GB is worth it to you.

 

[Tsepz]

You cannot go wrong with either, if the 6GB RAM, 120Hz ProMotion display, FaceID, Quad Speakers etc.. of the Pro don’t cut it for you then get the Air.

Both will probably be around as long as each other, the original 2015 iPad Pro is still around getting updates due to the fact that it had 4GB RAM in 2015 when iPads had 2GB RAM, so I think it’s safe to say the 6GB RAM of the 2020 will keep it round for many years to come.

 

[AutomaticApple]

the only con is its old processor, before all of you techies get on me for it outperforms the A14 in multi-core mode, i don't care. A12z is a variant of the same process as iphone XS, that's enough to turn me off a bit. i need something future proof for 5 years.

Yes, but the A12 will easily make it past 5 years from now. That isn’t a major worry.

 

[Hadron]

I've not been able to compare this myself, but the general verdict here seems to be Air 4 speakers good, Pro speakers better. So are the speakers a huge enough factor to swing it? I'm really focussing on this as this it was the thing you cited most strongly as a pro of the Pro.

If 128GB storage of the Pro is enough for you then the advantage of double storage in the Air is presumably not so large? If so that weakens the case for the Air. If you actually need more than 128GB that would be the killer argument for the Air: you can find alternatives to the speakers (headphones if travelling, bluetooth speakers if using it at home) and people say the Air's speakers are decent anyway, but storage is more of a hassle (unless cloud works for you, in which case the Air's extra storage may be a non-issue).

My impression is that the older processor of the Pro is the only thing giving you pause, and otherwise your decision would be very simple. But it's still a solid processor, and if it doesn't cause a problem when in use why worry? If it's mainly for media I doubt you'll be straining it to the limits either way.

(BTW to show that this isn't my personal preferences speaking, I've personally settled on buying an Air. But my usage is different and some of the things that are big for you are unimportant for me. If my preferences and priorities were as I understand yours to be I'd buy the Pro myself).

 

[kevjen888]

^^^ thank you Hadron for the thorough break downs, exactly what i'm looking for

 

[SkiHound2]

You cannot go wrong with either, if the 6GB RAM, 120Hz ProMotion display, FaceID, Quad Speakers etc.. of the Pro don’t cut it for you then get the Air.

Both will probably be around as long as each other, the original 2015 iPad Pro is still around getting updates due to the fact that it had 4GB RAM in 2015 when iPads had 2GB RAM, so I think it’s safe to say the 6GB RAM of the 2020 will keep it round for many years to come.

I agree. No bad choices here. I'm still using a 9.7" iPad Pro with some A9 variant. It streams media just fine and still feels pretty peppy for most of the day-to-day things I use it for. Now I'm not a gamer and I don't edit video and am probably not a very demanding user. I've been thinking of upgrading to either an Air or 11" Pro because I'd really prefer the larger screen in a device about the same size as my current iPad. And my current iPad doesn't support spatial audio when using airpod pros. My sense is that either of these processors will be more than sufficient to perform most of the tasks most of us do most of the time. MaxTech has a youtube video in which he's comparing the Air and Pro running various games; he felt the pro was providing a better experience and dropping fewer frames. I'd suggest taking a look. He wondered if the games he was testing had been optimized for the A14. IF I buy one now I'll go with the Pro. I just think Promotion, better sound, and face id outweigh any processor speed differences for my humble needs. But it's not an easy choice, and I agree you can't go wrong with either.

 

[Caliber26]

If watching movies/shows is one of the main things you’ll be doing on the iPad, it looks like the Pro might offer a better display. You should take a look at this thread:

iPad Air 2020 screen is not the same as the Pros

Apple advertised the Air as having the same display as the Pro, and that the only caveat was the 120hz and lower brightness. It seems like that’s not the case based on someone’s testing on Reddit - a comparison shows that the Air visibly looks washed out when compared next to the Pros at the...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[kristalsoldier]

i'm down to these two options, prices are about the same (around $780 tax included) with the BF discounts from Walmart and Amazon. I will use it mostly for entertainment. We don't have a TV in our bedroom, so the new ipad will be used as our main tool to stream movies and tv shows. i don't buy ipad often, my current one is an Air 2 i bought back in 2014, so the next ipad will have to be future proof for at least 5 years. here are the pros and cons for the two finalist.

iPad Pro 11 wifi 128GB
pros: better screen, 120hz refresh rate, better speakers (this is a huge one for us), face id (been using that feature since iphone X, kind of weary going back to finger scanning), 6GB RAM

cons: the only con is its old processor, before all of you techies get on me for it outperforms the A14 in multi-core mode, i don't care. A12z is a variant of the same process as iphone XS, that's enough to turn me off a bit. i need something future proof for 5 years.


iPad Air 4 wifi 256GB
pros:newer processor, a tad lighter than Pro 11, double the storage for similar or less money

cons: finger scanning, only 2 speakers, 60 hz refresh rate.

which one will you pick?

I picked the 11” IPP 2020. My options were the same as the ones you have listed and I was coming from the 10.5” 2017 IPP. I did this just a week or so back.

 

[blurryvision]

I had both and ultimately returned the Pro. I felt that the biggest deciding factor for me was figuring out my storage options. I picked the Air for that reason.

The speakers, refresh rate, slightly brighter screen, RAM, LIDAR/Camera, were negligible differences for me after testing both devices for a week. I couldn't justify paying more and getting half the storage (256 vs 128), as everything else "felt" and looked pretty much the same. I do music production and video editing and 7-10 seconds of faster exporting time is really no big deal. The single core advantages are much more noticable while the multi-core gap is very minimal.

My other concerns were the backlight bleeding but it isn't noticable in day to day usage, and the screen quality is on par with the Pro, with the latter having slightly better contrast. Even comparing side by side I didn't find much of a difference with the two displays.

I recommend the Air if you're not waiting for the 2021 upgrade and if you're not upgrading from an older Pro. For people coming from an older Pro, this Air would be a sidegrade at best, but for everyone else they're basically getting an 11 inch iPad Pro.

 

[harriska2]

My husband and I decided we could not upgrade to anything less than a 12.9 ipad. We've been too spoiled the past 5 years.

 

[doboy]

Another thread asking which iPad to buy. I would search for similar topics since there’s at least two that’s been going on for some time.

 

[Add-Delay]

I'm in the same boat weighing up between an Air or Pro, both 11" 256gb (12.9" would be great, but that's an even bigger step up the cost esp. when you factor in the magic keyboard).

I'm leaning the Pro, due to ProMotion and Face ID, but I too pause on the difference between the A14 and the A12Z. I'm upgrading from an original iPad Air, and hoping to get similar longevity. It's hard to know whether the processor or the amount of RAM will be the limiting factor in 5-7 years time. For me, my use cases will be for things my old Air couldn't too — much more Lightroom, and potentially Photoshop and Illustrator for "away from my desk" edits (provided they're both capable).

I plan to wait for Black Friday — I imagine there'll be the gift card deal for the Pros, but possibly not the Air due to it being so new? (Gift card can immediately then go towards the Magic Keyboard)